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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tube — a container
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — tied together
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — the underground
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — of the year
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. snap — to click
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — an illness
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com